About that speaker candidate meeting brokered by Sen. Patrick

House Speaker Joe Straus’s office released a statement acknowledging he’d talked to Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, about a meeting. But Straus spokeswoman Tracy Young said Straus didn’t agree to the sort of meeting Patrick put together for speaker candidates to meet with conservative groups.

Here’s the statement from Young:

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“Speaker Straus and Senator Patrick had a conversation in which Speaker Straus reiterated his open-door policy and told Senator Patrick he would be happy to meet with him and leaders that he recommended for the Speaker to meet with. Speaker Straus did not agree to participate in a forum-type meeting or any other program which many members of the House feel would usurp the constitutional authority of the House to choose the Speaker.”</blockquote>

Oh, and the meeting, originally scheduled for next Tuesday, has been postponed until after the Thanksgiving holiday, Patrick said.